Darker role was 'different beast' for comedic actress Marja-Lewis Ryan

By Kathryn ShattuckThe New York Times

Friday

Apr 13, 2018 at 5:00 AM

Abbi Jacobson — who with co-creator Ilana Glazer mines millennial angst in Comedy Central’s ‘‘Broad City’’ — can usually feel the unmistakable rhythm that means things are working. But in ‘‘6 Balloons,’’ Marja-Lewis Ryan’s harrowing study of addiction and co-dependency that arrived Friday on Netflix, Jacobson said she struggled to find the beat.

As Katie, Jacobson found her dramatic debut almost as nerve-fraying as her character’s cruise along Skid Row in search of a detox facility, yet again, for her heroin-addicted brother, Seth (Dave Franco). Along for the terrifying ride: his 2-year-old daughter.

‘‘I just have gotten to a point, at least with ‘Broad City,’ where I feel comfortable and a little bit in control,’’ she said. ‘‘With comedy, you can really hear if it’s working. And with this ("6 Balloons"), I wasn’t as sure of myself because it’s a different beast.’’

Jacobson, 34, splits her time between Los Angeles, where she’s voicing Princess Bean in Matt Groening’s upcoming animated series, ‘‘Disenchantment,’’ due out this summer on Netflix, and New York, where ‘‘Broad City’’ is based. During a telephone call from the "Broad City" writers’ room, amid conjuring up Season 5 (the premiere date has not been set), she talked about her walk on the dark side and being a woman in the comedy boys’ club.

Q: ‘‘6 Balloons’’ is your first dramatic role. How did you find the confidence to take on such dark material?

A: I really trusted Marja and her vision of the film and the characters and the fact that she did go with Dave and me, actors that are known for comedy. And the story is based on the real life of one of the producers, (Samantha) Housman. Sam was always on set with me and I could check in with her: ‘‘What are you feeling now?’’ Because it was such a mix of balancing all these emotions — of being so disappointed and angry while trying to also present that everything was under control.

Q: The movie reminds us that the opioid epidemic impacts every class.

A: I’m from the Philadelphia suburbs, a middle- or upper-middle-class area, and unfortunately I can count a lot of people I have known from high school that have died from overdoses. It’s also why I really wanted to get this part — I don’t know another movie that’s talking about this specific thing.

Q: What can we expect from Season 5 of ‘‘Broad City’’?

We’re going to go back to summer months, which feels more appropriate for the show. Last season, we shot in the winter and it got darker in many ways. And now in Season 5, it’s very much more serialized and intense, while still obviously maintaining comedy first. It goes deeper than we ever have in the friendship.

Q: Do you have your own MeToo moment?

A: The world of comedy is definitely a boys’ club. And looking back, Ilana and I were so caught up in making this show that we had blinders on — that along the way there were things constantly happening. I used to think, ‘‘That’s the norm, that’s how things work here.’’ And now it’s like, ‘‘No, they don’t — at least on projects that I’m involved in on a higher level.’’

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